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Michigan basketball is getting some much needed shooting reinforcement from an old friend.
Nimari Burnett, who was a grad student in 2024, has announced on his social media that he will return to the Wolverines for a sixth collegiate season (fifth season on the floor), which marks his third in Ann Arbor. The beginning of Burnett's journey was a bit up-and-down, going from Texas Tech to Alabama and suffering injuries in both spots.
After joining U-M under former coach Juwan Howard only to be a part of an 8-24 team that went a 3-17 in the Big Ten − objectively the worst season in U-M modern history − he began to rewrite his story a season ago in his first year under Dusty May.
Burnett shot a career-best 47.6% from the floor and 40.0% from long-range as he averaged 9.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game for Michigan which finished second in the Big Ten in the regular season and then went on to win the Big Ten Tournament championship.
Michigan wasn't done there as the 5-seed went to Denver and promptly knocked off a dangerous UC San Diego team as well as a physical Texas A&M group to book the program's first ticket to the Sweet 16 since 2022.
ON THE GRIDIRON: Bryce Underwood spring game grade: Michigan football's new star QB aggressive but sloppy
"We've had great conversations. I'm very careful about speaking for any of these guys, but Nimari, we want him back at the University of Michigan," May said in a radio interview earlier this month on WTKA-AM (1050). "He'll have a really good basketball season next year. We anticipate it'd be here. ... He was a big, big part of our success this year."
Burnett was at one point the nation's most efficient shooter in the middle of the season and also had perhaps the best moment of his college career when he hit a game-winning 3-pointer against Rutgers in late January to keep U-M's hopes of a Big Ten title alive.
The 6-foot-5, 200-pound former McDonalds All-American by way of Chicago has played 108 career games, with 78 starts, including 69 starts in as many games during his time in the maize and blue. Burnett not only scored in double figures 17 times this past year, but is a two-time U-M Athletic Academic Achievement recipient and is the program's reigning Big Ten Sportsmanship honoree.
It's been a busy offseason for the Wolverines who lost Tre Donaldson (Miami), Justin Pippen (Cal) and Sam Walters (Mississippi State) to the portal as well as Danny Wolf and Vladislav Goldin to the NBA and Rubin Jones to eligibility.
Still, May and company have made up for it in a major way, bringing in players like Elliot Cadeau (North Carolina), Morez Johnson (Illinois), Aday Mara (UCLA) and for the time being, Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB) who is still mulling the NBA waters.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball's Nimari Burnett to return to Ann Arbor in 2025
Continue reading...
Nimari Burnett, who was a grad student in 2024, has announced on his social media that he will return to the Wolverines for a sixth collegiate season (fifth season on the floor), which marks his third in Ann Arbor. The beginning of Burnett's journey was a bit up-and-down, going from Texas Tech to Alabama and suffering injuries in both spots.
After joining U-M under former coach Juwan Howard only to be a part of an 8-24 team that went a 3-17 in the Big Ten − objectively the worst season in U-M modern history − he began to rewrite his story a season ago in his first year under Dusty May.
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Burnett shot a career-best 47.6% from the floor and 40.0% from long-range as he averaged 9.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game for Michigan which finished second in the Big Ten in the regular season and then went on to win the Big Ten Tournament championship.
Michigan wasn't done there as the 5-seed went to Denver and promptly knocked off a dangerous UC San Diego team as well as a physical Texas A&M group to book the program's first ticket to the Sweet 16 since 2022.
ON THE GRIDIRON: Bryce Underwood spring game grade: Michigan football's new star QB aggressive but sloppy
"We've had great conversations. I'm very careful about speaking for any of these guys, but Nimari, we want him back at the University of Michigan," May said in a radio interview earlier this month on WTKA-AM (1050). "He'll have a really good basketball season next year. We anticipate it'd be here. ... He was a big, big part of our success this year."
Burnett was at one point the nation's most efficient shooter in the middle of the season and also had perhaps the best moment of his college career when he hit a game-winning 3-pointer against Rutgers in late January to keep U-M's hopes of a Big Ten title alive.
The 6-foot-5, 200-pound former McDonalds All-American by way of Chicago has played 108 career games, with 78 starts, including 69 starts in as many games during his time in the maize and blue. Burnett not only scored in double figures 17 times this past year, but is a two-time U-M Athletic Academic Achievement recipient and is the program's reigning Big Ten Sportsmanship honoree.
You must be registered for see images
It's been a busy offseason for the Wolverines who lost Tre Donaldson (Miami), Justin Pippen (Cal) and Sam Walters (Mississippi State) to the portal as well as Danny Wolf and Vladislav Goldin to the NBA and Rubin Jones to eligibility.
Still, May and company have made up for it in a major way, bringing in players like Elliot Cadeau (North Carolina), Morez Johnson (Illinois), Aday Mara (UCLA) and for the time being, Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB) who is still mulling the NBA waters.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball's Nimari Burnett to return to Ann Arbor in 2025
Continue reading...
